A study took place in Lebanon in the 1980s of more than 200 meditators asked to meditate with the intention to lift the energy and raise the vibration Meditation has many benefits, both for the individual, the people around you, even for your community and society in general. Read on to find out how meditation affects your brain waves to influence the energy around you!

Individual Level

There are many benefits to regular meditation practice. It helps the brain to function more coherently on all levels, aids sleep, balances hormones, lowers blood pressure, improves ability to cope with stress, slows the ageing process, promotes clearer thinking so heightens intelligence, gradually awakens natural psychic abilities and strengthens intuition. More synchronicities begin to appear in your life.

When you meditate changes take place in the frontal lobes in the brain. Your brainwaves change from beta (everyday waking consciousness) to alpha (light meditative state) to theta (deeper meditative state). This triggers an array of health benefits as well as heightening our senses. During meditation you detach from your ego self. The frontal lobes become active, enabling the senses to function optimally. We therefore become more intuitive when we meditate regularly.

You will become less affected by external events. Life becomes smoother and more joyful. When you are faced with challenges, solutions pop into your head. You can handle stress more effectively and for longer so that you age more slowly. It is said that if you meditate regularly for 7-12 years, your biological age at the end will be 12 years younger than your chronological age. You will also become more creative and intelligent. Meditation therefore creates happier, more balanced, emotionally resilient individuals – exactly what the world needs more of right now.

Wider Level Beyond the Self

Thoughts of peace and stillness affect the energy around you. If you remain in an enlightened person’s energy field for a while, you will usually exhibit signs of peace and enlightenment yourself. The enlightened person is like a tuning fork – they are able to lift your vibration closer to theirs. It is similar to the idea behind group meditation: when several people come together thinking thoughts of peace and tranquillity, it helps the others in the group to get into the same zone. Your brainwaves become aligned with those of the group. This is why group meditation is more powerful than one person meditating alone.

A New Way of Solving Problems

We are often advised to send positive thoughts to areas of trouble in the world rather than worrying and giving in to fear. When enough people do this together, the results can be amazing. Maybe this should be the way to solve conflict from now on rather than starting wars?

If you go beyond your own mind, you step into the infinite mind which is connected to everything and everyone which is simultaneously observing everything. This is the state of Oneness which serious meditators are trying to reach.

Meditation is certainly growing in popularity right now with the recognition of the value of mindfulness by health professionals. Meditation is also being offered in many work places and is used by athletes to help them become more focused. There are now programmes to take meditation into schools, introducing a whole new generation to a spiritual practice that can not only boost health and wellbeing but will also ultimately make their world a better, more peaceful place. After all, a peaceful world starts with peaceful individuals.

Helen is running a Meditation for Grounding and Focus Workshop on Sat 21st April 2018 at 15 Wheeler Gate, Nottingham, 10.30am-1pm, including break for refreshments. £20 per person. For further information or to make a booking, please ring 07748 591690 or email her at helenshortland@live.co.uk (This workshop is now fully booked.)

Helen Shortland is a Reiki Master Healer/Teacher, Meditation Teacher and Holistic Therapist based at 15 Wheeler Gate in Nottingham city centre. Helen offers several healing treatments such as Reiki, Angelic Reiki, Faery Reiki, Angel Therapy, Fairy Blessing Guided Journey and Crystal Chakra Balancing; holistic therapies including Reflexology, Indian Head Massage, Back Massage, Hopi Ear Candles & Facials; as well as Usui Reiki and Faery Reiki training courses and tarot readings. She has been on the spiritual path for 18 years and has extensive knowledge of healing and the healing journey. For further information about her Reiki courses, therapies and workshops, please visit her website http://helenshortland.comorvisit and‘like’ her Facebook page Helen Shortland Holistics & Healing.

The Reiki Level 2 course covers the subject of distant healing and how it works. Namely, when you make a mental connection to someone, the Reiki energy flows to them “over a bridge of light” that you have created with your mind – in other words, ‘action follows thought’ or ‘where attention goes, energy flows’. Thought can influence matter. During my reading and research I came across the following scientific explanation for distant healing which expands upon the information provided in the Level 2 course.

Back in the mid 1990’s an experiment was carried out by Prof William Tiller in America which involved a small black box fitted with a simple electrical circuit and four experienced meditators. The meditators were told to hold the specific intention that the black box device should increase the pH of purified water by 1 full unit. The box with the intention was shipped 1,500 miles away to a laboratory and placed near some purified water in a pH measurement vessel. Daily meditation commenced and slowly but surely, after a month or so, the water began changing to the requested intention until it had increased by exactly 1 full unit. The experiment was repeated with the intention for the pH of the water to go down by 1 full unit and again it worked. This was repeated in independent laboratories in America and Europe with the same results. Furthermore, the water remained at the pH level of the intention in some cases for as long as two years.

In terms of bringing about a desired result, you have to get past a certain threshold so that the desired condition stabilizes. According to the scientific model used above, intention flows via our chakras and begins to form a specific pattern in the mind lattice grid of space. Think of places like churches, cathedrals and temples where people gather daily to pray for a specific outcome. Their intention conditions the energy in the place. If done on a regular daily basis, the conditioning deepens so that it eventually creates an invisible structure in the environment. Once a critical point is reached, the intention becomes set in geometrical patterns on the structure and it can then materialise into our physical reality.

When manifesting anything, including healing, there has to be a merging of intention and physical reality, an interaction between consciousness and matter. It seems to be the case that, with sustained practice, a grid or template is created at an energetic level through which the energy can then filter down into the physical dimension according to the intention of the grid/template.

Emotional Energy

To make any kind of healing more successful, not only do you need to greatly desire the process to happen, visualise it and ask for assistance from the higher dimensions (Reiki guides), you need to feel it and sustain the heartfelt intention. The same goes for all kinds of manifesting – belief and intention are crucial and the more emotion you put behind your intention, the faster and more effective your intention can happen.

People often ask me why the treatments they give their loved ones are often more powerful than the treatments they give to their clients. I think it’s the greater amount of emotion (ie. love) involved which leads to a stronger treatment. Powerful immune reactions have been reported as the immune system is given a great boost of mental (intention) and emotional (love) energy to clear and strengthen itself.

Self-Healing with Distant Healing

Don’t forget that you can send distant healing to yourself as a form of self-treatment. Set the intention to heal at the highest level (soul level) or to address a specific mental, emotional or physical condition. This method is ideal if you want to work on a part of the physical body that you cannot easily reach such as the upper back. For mental/emotional conditions a purer form of energy often comes through with distance healing.

Other Applications for Distant Healing

In addition to treating mental, emotional and physical health conditions, distance Reiki can be used to heal many other situations at a deep soul level:-

Send Reiki to someone you are in conflict with. This purifies the negative karma between you and helps heal the relationship.

Send Reiki to someone who has passed over. This helps them heal at a soul level and is particularly useful if they have passed over in sudden, traumatic circumstances.

When someone is in the process of dying, Reiki helps them transition more peacefully and removes fear.

Reiki brings people together in the highest way possible as it helps you connect with someone at a soul level.

Sending Reiki to someone you love helps elevate the energy of the relationship to the highest level possible.

Set any of the intentions above, visualise the people concerned, allowing yourself to feel any emotions that come up. Then let the Reiki energy flow to the visualised image, visualising the situation turning out according to your intention.

Note:

Scientific information taken from ‘Countdown to Coherence’ by Hazel Courteney.

My next Reiki Level 2 course will be held on 17/18 February 2018 at 15 Wheeler Gate, Nottingham. Please see website for further details.

Helen Shortland is a Reiki Master Healer/Teacher, Meditation Teacher and Holistic Therapist based at 15 Wheeler Gate in Nottingham city centre. Helen offers several healing treatments such as Reiki, Angelic Reiki, Faery Reiki, Angel Therapy, Fairy Blessing Guided Journey and Crystal Chakra Balancing; holistic therapies including Reflexology, Indian Head Massage, Back Massage, Hopi Ear Candles & Facials; as well as Usui Reiki and Faery Reiki training courses. She has been on the spiritual path for 18 years and has extensive knowledge of healing and the healing journey. For further information about her Reiki courses, therapies and workshops, please visit her website http://helenshortland.comorvisit and‘like’ her Facebook page Helen Shortland Holistics & Healing.

In the Reiki Level 2 course students learn how to send Reiki back to past events in order to bring about healing and resolution in the present. Traumatic events in our past can still affect us negatively today, especially when the emotions surrounding them have been suppressed and unacknowledged or when forgiveness is needed in order to release hurt and wounding that you may be holding onto. Even if the event was too traumatic for true forgiveness to take place at the present time, just feeling more detached from the circumstances and emotions involved can be very beneficial. Sending forgiveness to the past can minimise the effect the event had, and still has, on you in the present and release the negative karma between the people involved.

Forgiveness can be extended to others but also to yourself. Maybe you have been continuously beating yourself up about something you did or didn’t do many years ago. Chances are that it is you who is the one still hurting – anyone else involved will most likely have let it go by now. Forgiveness is giving yourself permission to move on.

In recent years several scientific studies have shown that by revisiting specific events that happened earlier in this life, or even those you believe happened in a past life, and adding information, compassion or forgiveness into those events, this can affect the energy of that event as it flows into the present. Going back to that event in the present gives the opportunity to add information from your adult self that your child self would have been unaware of. It also gives you the opportunity to imagine hearing the other person’s side of the story. In other words, it helps you to view the event from a more detached, objective, different perspective and bring compassion and forgiveness into the situation where needed.

When we want to heal the past with Reiki we bring the event to mind, visualise the people and feel the emotions involved, then visualise/imagine the scene turning out well, with forgiveness offered and accepted, or just viewing the situation with detachment. Letting the Reiki energy flow as you acknowledge painful emotions can help with the releasing process. We are not actually changing the past itself but we are changing the emotional charge and energetic imprint surrounding that event. Afterwards, when you think about the traumatic event, you will find that its emotional impact is reduced and its effects bother you less and less. It really is possible for people to turn their lives around when they go back in their minds to add information, forgiveness and healing to past events because this helps change the way they feel and behave in the present. Grudges and anger can be released and the person who benefits most is you!

On a wider scale, you can imagine how much greater the effect could be at a global human level. Whenever terrible events occur around the world, our usual response is to react with fear and negativity. However, if people were to send positive thoughts with the intention to heal the situation with love instead, this would help release the negative karma that was created and help to heal the whole.

If you want to send healing to events in your own past, it is possible to do so without being attuned to Reiki. Hold the vision of the event and hold the intention to forgive those involved. In your mind ask the people involved to voice their side of the story. Insights can be profound. Their actions may have been terrible but understanding does at least remove some of the fear around the event. When you can truly let go of the painful emotions involved and extend forgiveness, if possible, this will help to purify the karma between you and set you free. This is one of the most healing spiritual practices you can do.

Helen Shortland is a Reiki Master Healer/Teacher, Meditation Teacher and Holistic Therapist based at 15 Wheeler Gate in Nottingham city centre. Helen offers several healing treatments such as Reiki, Angelic Reiki, Faery Reiki, Angel Therapy, Fairy Blessing Guided Journey and Crystal Chakra Balancing; holistic therapies including Reflexology, Indian Head Massage, Back Massage, Hopi Ear Candles & Facials; as well as Usui Reiki and Faery Reiki training courses and tarot readings. She has been on the spiritual path for 18 years and has extensive knowledge of healing and the healing journey. For further information about her Reiki courses, therapies and workshops, please visit her website http://helenshortland.comorvisit and‘like’ her Facebook page Helen Shortland Holistics & Healing.

Psychometry can be described as reading or tuning into the energy imprinted in an object or place. Everything around us is made of energy – our thoughts and emotions, the air we breathe, the solid objects in our homes. Energy contains atoms vibrating at different frequency. Within atoms are electrons, at the centre of which is a nucleus. Electrons pull on the nucleus and the nucleus pulls on the electrons, providing a kind of feedback loop. Every atom, molecule, cells, organ, organism etc circulates feedback. That feedback provides a memory. Everything that exists has feedback and therefore a memory.

Atoms are in the air and space all around us. They are also in physical objects such as chairs, walls etc. When atoms are contained within physical form, they are vibrating at a denser, lower vibration. I had a very interesting experience in deep meditation several years ago. I had been meditating for well over an hour and when I had finished I could actually feel the sofa I was sitting on wobbling or vibrating as the atoms became less dense as the vibrational energy I was giving out was lifting into a higher frequency.

Atoms are being exchanged between people and environments all the time through the simple act of breathing in oxygen which contains atoms which have their own memory. We are constantly breathing in oxygen and breathing out carbon dioxide. This acts as an exchange of energy and information, ie. providing feedback.

Sacred places such as circles of standing stones or pyramids are often said to give off a certain energy which can be felt by those who are sensitive. These structures act like tuning forks. All the atoms in the structure are vibrating, both extending energy and information into the space around them and receiving energy and information back. Stones and crystals can also be consciously programmed with information or healing power by thought (intention). Energy follows thought.

Psychometry can therefore be better described as retrieving the information or memory held within the atoms that make up a physical object. When practicing psychometry we usually hold a person’s watch, ring, bracelet or keys. You can use any object that has been kept within a person’s presence which contains that person’s energy. Usually the first impressions you receive are emotional relating to how the person has been feeling lately. Then you may receive images or impressions. If you are practicing on an ornament that is usually kept in one particular room, it is possible to receive images of that room or of an event that occurred within the room.

When practicing psychometry on a personal object or in a particular place you are actually reading the memory or imprint absorbed by the object. This is why some psychics and mediums can ‘know’ that something terrible has happened in a certain location. This information can come as a vision, sound, feeling or just a sense of knowing. I remember distinctly hearing the sound of monks singing in the ruins of Whitby Abbey many years ago. Another time on a trip up to Scotland I had a vision of a battle between English soldiers in red uniforms and an unfortunate looking band of Scottish peasants. The majority of atoms in our world have been around for millions and billions of years so the past is always accessible or present within the present. Seeing a vision with psychometry is like seeing a movie of the past for maybe just a few seconds.

The best way to heighten your psychic senses to enable you to read objects or places is first and foremost to have a regular meditation practice. This really is the basis for any kind of psychic work. You have to learn to calm the mind so that you can reach the stillness behind the chatter which enables you to receive impressions from your higher mind, guides and energy itself. I would also suggest raising your vibration by filling your energy body with white light on a daily basis, ideally at the end of your meditation practice.

If you would like to practice psychometry and other intuitive practices, I am running a Developing Intuition workshop on Sat 20th January at 2pm-4.45pm, £20. Numbers are limited so please contact me ASAP on 07748 591690 or email helenshortland@live.co.uk.

Helen Shortland is a Reiki Master Healer/Teacher, Meditation Teacher and Holistic Therapist based at 15 Wheeler Gate in Nottingham city centre. Helen offers several healing treatments such as Reiki, Angelic Reiki, Faery Reiki, Angel Therapy, Fairy Blessing Guided Journey and Crystal Chakra Balancing; holistic therapies including Reflexology, Indian Head Massage, Back Massage, Hopi Ear Candles & Facials; as well as Usui Reiki and Faery Reiki training courses. She has been on the spiritual path for 17 years and has extensive knowledge of healing and the healing journey. For further information about her Reiki courses, therapies and workshops, please visit her website http://helenshortland.comorvisit and‘like’ her Facebook page Helen Shortland Holistics & Healing.

When you are working as a healer, you will find that you often attract clients who are dealing with similar life challenges as yourself or suffering from physical, emotional or mental health conditions that mirror your own. I have discovered there are several reasons for this:-

The universe is showing you, through other people, what you need to work on in yourself. If you attract clients with stress or anxiety, your own stress/anxiety levels may need to be addressed. Equally you may attract clients with depression or digestive disorders for the same reasons. If you attract clients suffering from physical pain, you may have your own pain to deal with. (In my treatments I usually open up the aura to release areas of pain using an advanced healing technique taught at Master Healer Level but I have also had great results incorporating smoky quartz crystal over areas of physical pain. This crystal draws out all negative energy, including both the physical pain and any underlying mental/emotional issues that are contributing to the pain. Always remember to cleanse and reprogram crystals after use.)

Giving a Reiki treatment to a client with the same issue as yourself gives you an opportunity to heal and clear this issue for the both of you. During a treatment your energy field merges with that of the client and the healing energy works on both of you at the same time.

Finally this may also be highlighting a particular energy pattern (for example anxiety) that you have carried in the past and which you have subsequently cleared and resolved in yourself. You are now able to help the client release that particular energy pattern more quickly.

Mirroring Effect

This mirroring effect is just one aspect of the Law of Attraction. We are all connected and we are constantly reflecting back to each other aspects of our own behaviour and thought patterns. The people around you who you find particularly challenging are reflecting back to you your own unresolved issues which need addressing and healing. For example you may have “friends” who constantly undermine you and make you feel worthless. Your challenge is to stand up and address this, either removing them from your life or establishing new ground rules. Another example is the person who spends a considerable amount of their time caring for others, pushing themselves to the point of exhaustion. The challenge in this case is to find and implement a more workable solution requesting support from family and friends, pushing for care packages from the Local Authority where needed or, in some cases, where appropriate, just stepping back and letting others step in.

On the other hand there will be other people in your life whose company you find uplifting, supportive and enjoyable. These people reflect back to you areas of your life which are working well, such as family life or friendships.

Importance of Self-Healing

When you start your Reiki journey, the focus at Level 1 is on self-healing. The reason for this is that you need to be as clear a channel as possible so that your energy is as strong as possible before you start healing others. The phrase ‘as clear a channel as possible’ implies that you are working on clearing energy blocks (your own spiritual/mental/emotional issues) in your chakra system through the practice of self-healing. As a healer you should ideally make time to do self-healing at least once a week, more often if you have specific health concerns.

When your energy body is clear you will find that energy blocks and associated issues in your clients are released and cleared more quickly. During a healing session the client’s energy vibration is raised to become more in line with yours, like two tuning forks sharing the same resonance. This process is known as entrainment. You may be able to recall occasions when people in low energy and mood have brought your own energy down to match theirs and other times when people in a great mood have uplifted you and filled you with their positivity. You are affected by other people’s energy far more than you probably realise so it is well worth considering some psychic protection techniques to protect your energy body and avoid it being depleted.

By now you can no doubt see the importance of being in a good place vibrationally yourself. Self-healing and other spiritual practices like meditation should be done on a regular basis. You can also cleanse your aura with the Violet Flame after each client or at the end of each day – just call on Archangel Zadkiel or St Germain to cleanse your energy field with the Violet Flame and visualise it cleansing your aura (energy field), transmuting all negative energy into light. You could also carry smoky quartz crystals in your pockets to soak up negative energy and visualise yourself in a golden or blue bubble of light to protect your energy levels in everyday situations.

Regular good practice will ensure that you will be the best healing channel you can be and your positive, high vibration will attract people to you. Subconsciously or intuitively they know they will benefit from being both in your energy and the Reiki healing energy.

Helen Shortland is a Reiki Master Healer/Teacher, Meditation Teacher and Holistic Therapist based at 15 Wheeler Gate in Nottingham city centre. Helen offers several healing treatments such as Reiki, Angelic Reiki, Faery Reiki, Angel Therapy, Fairy Blessing Guided Journey and Crystal Chakra Balancing; holistic therapies including Reflexology, Indian Head Massage, Back Massage, Hopi Ear Candles & Facials; as well as Usui Reiki and Faery Reiki training courses. She has been on the spiritual path for 15 years and has extensive knowledge of healing and the healing journey. For further information about her Reiki courses, therapies and workshops, please visit her website http://helenshortland.comorvisit and‘like’ her Facebook page Helen Shortland Holistics & Healing.

Many people suffer from physical pain on a daily basis. In fact it is stated that nearly half of all adults in the UK are affected by some kind of pain. Growing numbers of people are therefore relying on over-the-counter and prescription drugs but many of these drugs can cause more harm than good. They may relieve the original pain experienced but some, like ibruprofen, can cause gastric problems, while others can cause nausea and drowsiness. These drugs are very powerful and can cause problems in the liver which has to process and break-down these chemical concoctions. Another issue with prescription drugs of course is that they only deal with the symptoms rather than addressing the root cause of the pain. Drugs dampen pain signals to the brain, which can help as an initial first aid to keep you going, but ultimately you may cause more damage to a joint or other part of the body by ignoring what is actually going on and why.

Various holistic approaches are available which can support the body through the healing process and which may even be more effective. Natural pain relief is also free from any harmful side-effects experienced with prescription drugs. Herbal remedies, correct nutrition and complementary therapies can all provide effective pain relief. Mindfulness and visualisation have also shown to be effective and meditation is now offered in NHS pain relief clinics.

If you are one of the many people in need of pain relief, this blog contains some natural methods which can be used to treat common complaints.

Complementary Therapies

Reiki and Reflexology are particularly good for easing pain, unblocking energy channels and helping the body to heal itself. I have a couple of clients who come to me on a monthly basis for Reiki to ease diabetic leg pain and many more clients who use Reiki to ease back pain and tension in the neck and shoulders. Lower back pain can be a result of unresolved painful emotions stored in the rear of the sacral chakra. Reiki can help release these emotions which act as an energy block and prevent your natural life force energy flowing as it should. This then relieves the physical discomfort caused by the emotional block. Clients usually notice an improvement over the next few days. Relief lasts longer the more treatments the client has.

Reflexology works on specific reflex points on the foot to ease pain, illness or discomfort in the physical body. The therapist can massage the reflex points relating to the painful body part, such as the digestive system, shoulders, neck, knees or spine. You can also ask your Reflexologist to show you the reflex points so that you can massage them yourself at home.

An Indian Head Massage is particularly effective for easing neck and shoulder pain and general back pain can be eased with a Back Massage. Your therapist can work on areas of knotty muscle fibres and tension to help tight muscles relax back into their proper place.

Other therapies that can ease pain include acupuncture, acupressure, cupping and gentle yoga.

Nutrition

Joints

Toxins accumulate in joints and are usually a build-up of lactic acid. An anti-inflammatory diet is one of the most effective ways of tackling pain from the inside. This diet excludes processed foods, refined sugar, caffeine and alcohol.

Rheumatoid Arthritis often afflicts the small joints in the hands and feet as well as knees, elbows and larger joints. It is characterised by pain and swelling (inflammation), often with fluid build-up in the ankles or behind the knees. The best anti-inflammatories to use to alleviate pain are curcumin (a component of turmeric) and nettle leaf. Osteo-arthritis is a degenerative joint disease which affects the knees, hips, back and small joints in the fingers.

The best healing foods for joint inflammation are kiwis, kale, onion, turmeric, chaga mushroom (as a powder), coriander, lemon, cucumber and apple cider vinegar. Salmon is high in protein to build healthy connective tissue and is also high in anti-inflammatory omega 3 fatty acids. Ginger contains zingibain which suppresses substances that trigger pain and cause tissues to swell. You may also like to consider cutting back on dairy as dairy clogs up the liver which prevents toxins leaving the body efficiently.

Migraines

These are defined as recurring headaches that cause pulsing or throbbing, typically focused on one side of the head. They are often accompanied by extreme sensitivity to light, sound and/or smell, blurred vision, flashes of light, nausea, light-headedness, even difficulty speaking. Triggers are complex and are usually a combination of stress, food intolerance, impeded cervical nerves from poor posture, sinus infection, dehydration, hormonal/menstrual cycle imbalances, lack of sleep, heavy metal or other environmental triggers.

To tackle migraines it is advisable to reduce potential triggers such as dairy, eggs, gluten, meat, fermented foods, additives like MSG and aspartame, alcohol and chocolate.

For general pain relief the following two products are recommended by the very knowledgeable staff at Little London Herbal Stores in Nottingham:-

White willow bark – Good for back pain, headaches, knee and other joint pain. This product is the natural source of aspirin so is not suitable for those on blood thinning medication. Available in tincture, extract or supplement form.

Cannabis oil – Cannabidiol or CBD for short is a nutrient found in the hemp plant, Cannabis sativa, which is now being used medicinally for the treatment of pain and many illnesses. Cannabidiol binds to certain receptors on our cells in the central nervous system to reduce the pain response in the physical body. Derived from only the legal forms of the cannabis/hemp plant, this product (CBD Cannabis Oil) is non-psychoactive so you will not be high or stoned. Cannabis oil has proved to be particularly effective in treating fibromyalgia pain. You put a few drops under your tongue where it will be absorbed into the body and blood stream via the mucous membranes. Little London Herbal Stores sell both the cannabis oil and a cannabis vape.

Headaches/Migraines

Feverfew tincture is particularly good for treating migraines and headaches. You can take up to 15 drops in a small amount of water up to 3 times a day. Magnesium is an excellent muscle relaxant which reduces tension in and around the trigeminal nerves in the neck and head.

Aloe vera has anti-inflammatory properties and is good for calming the gut but it can also be used to treat headaches and migraines. The scent of aloe vera acts as a muscle relaxant and eases tension. Rub a small amount into your neck to ease tension here. Tiger Balm, a Chinese ointment, was traditionally used to ease sore, aching muscles. It contains natural painkillers menthol and camphor oil. Try rubbing a little Tiger Balm red ointment on forehead and temples in a circular motion to ease headaches.

Joint Pain

Green tea extract controls inflammation and helps repair bone and cartilage by blocking inflammatory proteins that cause swelling. In a trial of osteoarthritis sufferers in Iran, the patients taking green tea extract reported more movement in their joints after a month. Rosehip capsules have excellent anti-inflammatory properties and are recommended by the Primary Care Rheumatology Society for treating osteoarthritis. Glucosamine helps with the repair of cartilage that cushions the joints so can help reduce the pain, stiffness and swelling of arthritis.

Period Pain

Pine Bark or Pycnogenol had been found to reduce abdominal discomfort by 80% and cramping by 70%.

Reiki healing, Reflexology, Indian Head Massage and Back Massage are available with Helen Shortland at 15 Wheeler Gate, Nottingham.

All herbal remedies mentioned in this article are available from Little London Herbal Stores, 9 Trinity Walk, Nottingham.

Helen Shortland is a Reiki Master Healer/Teacher, Meditation Teacher and Holistic Therapist based at 15 Wheeler Gate in Nottingham city centre. She is currently studying Raw Food Nutrition to find out more about the healing power of natural food. Helen offers several healing treatments such as Reiki, Angelic Reiki, Faery Reiki, Angel Therapy, Fairy Blessing Guided Journey and Crystal Chakra Balancing; holistic therapies including Reflexology, Indian Head Massage, Back Massage, Hopi Ear Candles & Facials; as well as Usui Reiki and Faery Reiki training courses. She has been on the spiritual path for 15 years and has extensive knowledge of healing and the healing journey. For further information about her Reiki courses, therapies and workshops, please visit her website http://helenshortland.comorvisit and‘like’ her Facebook page Helen Shortland Holistics & Enchantment.

In healing we often talk about blocked chakras or negative energy build-up in our energy field but what are energy blocks exactly?

In simplest terms, an energy block is a form of resistance. They are pockets of stuck energy that limit the natural movement and flow of energy in and out the chakras which prevent us from living as authentically as we should and achieving our greatest potential. Energy blocks can develop from a negative mental pattern or belief system leading to perceptual misunderstandings; unresolved emotions from pain/trauma in our early years; a negative karmic imprint carried over from a past life; or from a physical injury or condition.

Energy blocks act as barriers to the natural free-flow of energy. On the mental level barriers are created by negative beliefs about ourselves, others and the world in general. These beliefs tend to form when our minds are young and impressionable and lacked the mature reasoning to examine them properly. Over the years this negative thinking distorts our perceptions of the world around us so that we only see the negative things which affirm our beliefs. More and more often in my Reiki treatments these days I am finding the healing energy clearing out the third eye chakra (which governs perception) to release the negative perceptions the client holds. We always have a choice in how we perceive something – negatively, which only hurts and limits us more, in a detached neutral manner or with an open positive outlook.

Emotional blocks are formed when we hold onto a lot of unresolved emotions from the past. Often we suppress or deny how we feel on a conscious level but the hurt and pain is still present in the subconscious mind where it quietly affects our behaviour and expectations. Feelings of unworthiness block our ability to receive and manifest good things, often because we are afraid to trust again. These blocks are often related to self-protection: shutting down emotionally may have helped you cope at one time but now they no longer serve you and are shutting you off from the good as well as the bad. Emotional blocks are held mainly in the heart, solar plexus and sacral chakras.

Spiritual blocks can manifest as a sense of unease, restlessness or frustration. You may feel you are on the wrong path in life or made a wrong decision in the past and are now faced with the task of getting your life back on track. You want your life to be more aligned to what is right for your soul. Spiritual blocks can often result from negative karmic imprints carried over from a past life which you need to clear in this one. Even if you don’t believe in the concept of past lives, I think the idea that there are certain ‘stories’ or energy patterns imprinted on each of us at a soul level are acceptable and understandable to most people.

All of these spiritual, mental and emotional bocks lead to a weakened energy flow in and out of the physical body. Negative thinking and emotional wounding result in our energy no longer vibrating at the correct frequency. This leads to weakness, dis-ease and eventually illness at the physical level. Accidents, injuries and surgery to the physical body can also create a build-up of blocked energy on the physical level. Therapies such as Reiki or Acupuncture can usually help in these cases.

Sense of Disconnection

The spiritual, mental and emotional energy blocks arise when we feel cut off from the source of Love – our higher self, soul or our concept of God. Blocks act as barriers to the feeling of connection to Love and to our essential Self. Blocks limit our sense of wholeness and connection. Blocks are formed when we feel disconnected and equally, when formed, often serve to prevent us from realising that sense of connection again. It therefore becomes a self-perpetuating cycle.

In order to fully achieve our highest potential for health and wellbeing and to realise our soul path and the work we are meant to be doing in this lifetime, it is essential to work on releasing our blocks and shifting these stubborn barriers. The only thing that can dissolve these blocks is Love, or more accurately I believe Light, in the form of healing energy and all the understanding, awareness and forgiveness that Light brings. It is literally like shedding light on a situation. Love is the Light of God, that divine healing energy that dispels the darkness of our limiting self-imposed barriers.

Self-Help for Emotional Blocks

We can consciously breathe out emotional pain by breathing in through the nose into the stomach and abdomen, then consciously breathing out emotional hurts and negativity through the mouth. These areas are governed by the solar plexus and sacral chakras which govern self-worth and emotions respectively.

Then imagine your crown chakra opening up like a white lotus flower in full bloom and visualise a beam of pure white light coming down from the heavens into your crown chakra. As you inhale draw the white light down into your stomach/abdomen and as you exhale let the white light fill your whole body.

Therapeutic Help

A healing treatment such as Reiki or Angelic Reiki which channels energy as light can help to dissolve blocks and barriers. In Angelic Reiki the healer is often aware of repeating negative karmic cycles the client is experiencing and calls on the angels to release these. Past Life Regression, shamanic healing, crystal healing or many of the other forms of energy healing available today can also help shift blocks.

Setting Yourself Free

When you start to release some of the pain, negativity or darkness and let in more light, great shifts can take place. Situations and comments that would have upset you in the past will have less of an impact. By releasing past hurt, you become stronger. As you move away from your wounded ego with its outdated negative beliefs about yourself, you start to become more open to trusting, loving, experiencing – to Life itself.

Helen Shortland is a Reiki Master Healer/Teacher, Meditation Teacher and Holistic Therapist based at 15 Wheeler Gate in Nottingham city centre. Helen offers several healing treatments such as Reiki, Angelic Reiki, Faery Reiki, Angel Therapy and Fairy Blessing Guided Journey, as well as Usui Reiki and Faery Reiki training courses. She has been on the spiritual path for 15 years and has extensive knowledge of healing and the healing journey. For further information about her Reiki courses, therapies and workshops, please visit her website http://helenshortland.comorvisit and‘like’ her Facebook page Helen Shortland Holistics & Enchantment.